Waste removal for carding machines



April 9, 1968 E. F. WILLIAMS WASTE REMOVAL FOR CARDING MACHINES 5Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Aug. 6, 1963 April 9, 1968 E. F. WILLIAMS3,376,610

' WASTE REMOVAL FOR CARDING MACHINES Original Filed Aug. 6, 1963 5Sheets-Sheet 5;

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April 9, 1968 E. F. WILLIAMS 3,376,610

WASTE REMOVAL FOR CARDING MACHINES Original Filed Aug. 6, 1965 5Sheets-Sheet 5 T1 4- /Z -is INVENTOR. flwarffimz 44/21:

ORNEW A ril 9, 1968 E. F. WILLIAMS I WASTE REMOVAL FOR CARDING MACHINES5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Original Filed Aug. 6, 1963 INVENTOR. 'eA/'srfimummsApril 9, 1968 E. F. WILLIAMS WASTE REMOVAL FOR CARDING MACHINES 5Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed Aug. 6. 1963 INVENTOR. z/va'r FM; 4mm

3,375,616 Patented Apr. 9, 1968 3,376,610 WASTE REMOVAL FOR CARDINGMACHINES Ernest F. Williams, Pelham, Gm, assignor to Coats & Clark Inc.,New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Original application Aug. 6,1963, Ser. No. 300,384. Divided and this application Oct. 14, 1965, Ser.No. 509,462

1 Claim. ((11. 19107) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus forcleaning flats at a bight in the chain of flats. A suction dust has astripping slit extending the width of the flats at the bight andarranged both to vacuum clean the flats and to receive debris removedfrom the flats by a reciprocable comb and rotatable brush.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 300,384, filed Aug. 6, 1963,now abandoned, and relates to an apparatus and method for reducing theamount of fly released into the air around carding machines and forcleaning portions of the clothing on such machines of motes, dust, flyand flat strips.

It is an object of the invention to reduce the amount of fly in the airaround carding machines.

It is a further object of the invention to prevent the accumulation offly on carding machines and on the web of fibers produced by suchmachines.

It is a further object of the invention to reduce the amount of laborrequired to keep carding machines clean.

Still further, it is an object of the invention to separate the flywhich collects under the lickerin and cylinder of a carding machine fromthe flat strips and to collect these wastes separately.

Carding machines process a lap or roll of cotton into a sliver. In theprocess they separate from the lap a quantity of foreign matter, such asleaves and dirt, as well as a quantity of short or tangled fibers. Thiswaste material does not reach the sliver, but leaves the machine invarious ways. Most of the dirt, seeds, stems, bolls, and leaves collectbeneath the lickerin and cylinder of the machine on the floor within thesupporting frame. This material is tangled with short fibers, and whileit is light in weight does not readily float through the air. Instead itgathers in festoons and stringy masses which cling to the floor parts ofthe machine. Attempts to clean it from between i the frame automaticallyby means of suction ducts have not been successful, owing to theclinging nature of this material, which prevents it from floating to theducts. The present invention employs an endless belt disposed beneaththe lickerin, cylinder, and doffer of the card machine which interceptswaste material falling from these elements and carries it to a suctionduct, where it is removed from the machine.

Waste material known as flat strips, is also removed by the clothing onthe moving flats from the material being processed. Flat strips aremostly short and tangled fibers and are more valuable than the wastewhich falls to the floor beneath the machine. The flat strips areremoved from the clothing of the flats by a reciprocating comb and by arotary brush which removes dirt and fibers remaining in the flatclothing after the flat has passed the reciprocating comb. The presentinvention removes most of the flat strips from the flats by means of asuction duct, and collects in the same duct any material which is laterremoved by the reciprocating comb or the rotary brush. In addition, thissuction duct picks up any loose fly or fibers released into the air inthe neighborhood of the comb or brush.

A further source of fly is the dofler and doffer comb. The action of thedofler comb in releasing fibers from the doffer forms a delicatehorizontal web and also releases particles of fly into the air. Thisinvention captures the air containing this loose fly by creating agentle suction above the dofler comb. The invention also cleans theclothing of the doffer by exposing it to a suction slot.

The following description and the accompanying drawings show one form ofthe invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view in cross section of a carding machine showing oneform of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of ductwork associated with the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the ductwork of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view of drive roller 80 of thedevice of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross section taken on cutting plane 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross section taken on cutting plane 66 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on cutting plane 7-7 ofFIG. 8 of duct 144 also shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a cross section taken on cutting plane 88 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a dofler hood also shownin FIG. 1; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view corresponding to that of FIG. 1 showing analternative form of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a carding machine comprised of a frame 10 having a sidewall 12 with access doors 14 opening therethrough. A rear end wall 16 inframe 10 also has an access door 18, and a front end wall 20 is providedwith an access door 22. At the left end of FIG. 1 a coiled lap 24 offiber is shown being fed to lickerin 26 by feed roll 28. As the fiber ispenetrated by the teeth 30 on the lickerin, waste material therein isthrown downward toward the floor 32 on which the carding machine rests.The fiber remaining on the lickerin is transferred to the wires 34 ofthe clothing on the cylinder 35. The cylinder, rotating clockwise asshown by the arrow in FIG. 1, carries the fibre at high speed past flats36 which enclose a segment of the cylinder. The flats are connected toan endless chain 38 (best seen in FIG. 7) which is driven slowly bysprocket wheels in the direction of the arrow of FIG. 1. The flatscomprise an upper flight 40 and a lower flight 42, with the flats in thelower flight actively carding the fiber. The flats pass from the lowerto the upper flight through bight 44. The construction of the structuresupporting the flats is such that they are almost in contact with eachother when passing over the cylinder, and serve to prevent excessivefly-out of loose fibers and dirt. Nevertheless, there is some loss offiber and dust into the air between the upper and lower flights offlats. Loss of fiber into the air from the lickerin and the adjacentportion of the cylinder is prevented by lickerin cover 46 and back plate48, the latter extending upward to the point where the flats in thelower flight join the cylinder.

Fibers still adhering to the cylinder clothing after passing the flatsare removed therefrom by the clothing 50 on the dofler 52, which rotatescounterclockwise as shown by the arrow in FIG. 1. Front plate 54 coversthe cylinder surface from the flats to the dofler. Fibers on the dotterclothing are carried to dofler comb 56 which oscillates rapidly througha small arc and strips the fibers from the dofler clothing, forming aweb 58. The action of the dofler comb releases loose fibers into theair. Counter-rotating dofler calendar rolls 68, 60 draw the web throughtrumpet 62 where it is formed into sliver 64 which passes upward intocoiler 66.

Portions of the doffer clothing which have passed the dofler comb maystill retain some fibers or waste material. These portions pass underdofier cover 68. Any waste which may drop from the bottom of thecylinder or doffer as these elements rotate finds its Way toward thefloor between the side frames.

As the flats 36 leaves the lower flight 42 the wires of their clothingare embedded in a mass of short and tangled fibers known as flat strips.The flat strips are more valuable than the waste which falls to thefloor below the machine. They must be removed from the flats, and themechanism for removal which will be described below constitutes part ofthe present invention.

The card machine structure so far described is conventional. In theusual machine the waste which falls to the floor within the machineframe is removed sporadically by an operator who opens the necessaryaccess doors and pulls it out. According to the present inven tion thecarding machine is raised on a base which may be of wood. The gapsbetween the base and the bottom of the machine frame are sealed withfoam rubber strips 72 or the like. An endless belt 74 extends acrossfrom one side wall 12 to the other and substantially the full length ofthe machine frame. The upper flight of the belt is supported frombeneath by a shelf 76 which may be of plywood. The bights of the beltpass around an idler sheave 7-8 and a driving sheave 80. These are heldin position by ball bearings 82 and 84 which carry the axles 86 and 88of the driving and idler sheaves respectively. The sheaves may beslightly crowned in order to center the belt. Sprocket 90 is rigidlyattached to axle 86 and is meshed with roller chain 92. A secondsprocket 94 is attached to and rotates with feed roll 28, driving rollerchain 92. A belt speed of thirty-six inches per minute has been foundsatisfactorily and the size of the sprockets may be selected to achievethat speed.

The tension in belt 74 may be adjusted by shifting the position of ballbearings 84 which carry the idler sheave. The bearing housing 96 isclamped by the bolts 98 to an angle iron 100. The angle iron is fastenedto base 70 by lag screws 102. The hole in the angle iron which re--ceives the bolt 98 is elongated to allow lateral shifting of theposition of the bearing housing relative to the angle iron.

A sheet metal flap 104 extends inward and downward from each side wall12 to a position just above the surface of the belt. This flap preventswaste material from falling into the space between the edge 106 of thebelt and the side wall. A belt cleaning suction duct 108 is locatedadjacent the driving sheave 80. This duct extends the full width of thebelt. A rear wall 110 extends downward to join a bottom apron 112 whichunderlies the driving sheave and part of the lower flight of the belt. Afront wall 114 joins an angle plate 116, the lower edge 118 of which isspaced three-quarters of an inch from the surface of the belt atapproximately the same level as the axle 86. Side walls 120 connect thefront and rear walls of the duct. A partial vacuum may be created in theduct by the fan and conduits to be described below. This vacuum sucksmaterial from the surface of the belt 74 as the belt passes over thedriving sheave. The bottom apron 112 helps to confine the major amountof the air flow to the gap between the belt and lower edge 118.

The belt 74 is of fabric with a smooth outer coating, as of rubber orplastic. A slick surface prevents the waste fibers from sticking to thebelt surface and allows their removal by suction. The same slicksurface, however, makes it possible for balls or clumps of waste to jamagainst angle plate 116 without being forced into the duct. The surfaceof the belt simply slides past such clumps. To alleviate this conditiona fabric cleat 122 is sewn onto the belt across the width thereof. Asthis cleat passes the driver sheave, it forces any jammed clumps of material into the duct. It is sufiiciently flexible to pass the bottomapron 112 without damage.

The belt and duct arrangement shown keeps the underside of the cardmachine clean with little attention. A reduction in the floating ductand lint leaving the machine also results as the duct creates a gentleinflow of air through the various openings in the frame.

The fly released by the doffer comb is removed by a second suctiondevice. As may best be seen in FIGS. 1 and 9, the usual doffer cover 68is retained, but in the illustrated machine it has been raised to createan air gap of approximately three quarters of an inch between theunderside 124 of the doifer cover and the points 126 of the wires of thedoffer clothing. The gap between the doifer cover in the raised positionand the shrouds at the ends of the doffer is filled in toprevent airleakage. An arching hood 127 is connected by hinge 128 to the outer edge130 of the dotfer cover. The hood has end pieces 132. As shown, the hoodis fabricated of a clear plastic, which allows inspection of the doiferand comb therethrough. 129 is a hinged plate carrying knob 129. The

plate is designed to protect the web 58 from draft of air which mightbreak the web.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, a sealing plate 134 extends from front plate54 to the doffer cover 68 and forms, with these members, a suctionchannel of roughly triangular cross section. The ends of the suctionchannel are covered by end plates 136, the one shown having an outlethole 138 therein adapted to be connected to the suction tubes which willbe described below. As may best as seen in FIG. 10, the inner edge 140of the doffe'r cover is spaced from the front plate 54, defining anentrance gap into the suction channel.

With the carding machine in operation a partial vacuum is created in thesuction channel. This draws air from the space above the dofi'er combinto the air gap below the doffer cover and thence into the suctionchamber. The hood 127 because of its size and arcuate shape collects airfrom above the web in a gentle, low velocity stream sufficient toentrain fly floating in this area without injuring the web 58. The sameair, however, is markedly accelerated when it enters the air gapbetweenthe doffer wire and the underside of the doffer cover. and passesthrough the air gap at considerable velocity. This keeps the entrainedmaterial from settling on the doffer. The high speed air flow alsoserves to clean the wires of the dofler clothing.

Two embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings. They differwith respect to the suction device used in connection with the flatcleaning mechanism. FIGS. 1, 7 and 8 show a first construction. Flats36, clogged with flat strips, pass around bight 44, driven by sprocket142. The bight is adjacent suction duct 144 which may be made oftransparent plastic in order t disclose the working parts. The suctionduct 144 com:

prises a front wall 146, a rear wall 148, and end walls 150. A ductfloor 152 and an inner shelf 154 join the front and rear walls. A metalreinforcing bar 156 extends along the rear wall to maintain its shape.Between the top of the reinforcing bar and the outer edge 158 of theinner shelf an opening into the suction duct defines a.

stripping slit. The stripping slit is approximately one quarter inch inwidth and extends the full length of the flats in close proximity to thepoints of the wires in the flats. One end wall is pierced by an outlet160, which may be connected to a suction tube as will be more fullydescribed below. When suction is applied, the in rush of airthrough thestripping slit will remove most of the fiat strips from the flats. Inorder to equalize the flow in different portions of the stripping slit,a crossover duct 162 is provided below the suction duct. End wall 164 ofthe crossover duct is pierced by outlet 166. Adjacent the other end wall168 an edge 170 of the floor 152 defines an opening between the suctionduct 144 and the crossover duct 162. When suction is applied at theoutlets and 166, the waste from half the stripping slit leaves throughone outlet and half through the other.

Some waste may pass the stripping slit without leaving the flats. Thismaterial is subject to the action of the conventional reciprocating comb 172 and then, if still not removed, to the bristles of a rotatingnylon brush 174. Any waste removed by the comb or brush will be suckedinto the stripping slit, since hood 176 promotes a flow of air pastthese elements toward the slit.

As an added precuation against fly, a curved shield 178 may be locatedbetween the rear wall 148 of the suction duct and the front plate 54.The shield closely abuts the path taken by the flats, and any materialwhich drops from them is carried upward to the stripping slit, ratherthan getting into the air or falling on the front plate.

FIG. 10 shows a construction in which the flat strips are removed by aconventional reciprocating comb 180 and a rotating brush 182. Theseelements are surrounded by a suction hood 184 which extends the lengthof the flats. Outlet 186 in the suction hood collects any fly given offby the brush or comb, as well as the flat strips.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show a duct system which is capable of serving a number ofcarding machines. Motor 188 drives centrifugal shave blade fan 190,which creates a partial vacuum in manifold 192. Separate headers 194,194', etc., branch oil? the manifold, one header for each machine. Fromeach header four tubes branch out to the various suction ducts alreadydescribed. Tube 196 connects with belt cleaning suction duct 108; tube198 with outlet hole 138 in the suction channel which cleans the doffer,and tubes 200 and 202, respectively, to outlet 160 and outlet 166 in thecleaning mechanisms for the flats. In practice it has been foundsatisfactory to make tubes 196 and 198 three inches in diameter andtubes 200 and 202 two and one-quarter inches in diameter. Headers 194,194', etc., are four inches in diameter. An air flow of four or fivehundred cubic feet per minute per carding machine has been foundsatisfactory.

The air collected from the machines is blown into an air filter 204 ofany standard type where the entrained waste is removed. The air isreturned to the card room through woven filter bag 206.

It will be appreciated that the duct system illustrated mingles thewaste collected from various portions of the carding machine. If it isdesired to separate the relatively valuable card strips from the wastewhich is separated out by the lickerin, tube 196 may be lead to aseparate filter system similar in its essentials to that illustrated.

The invention having been described, the following is claimed:

1. In a flat card having a cylinder, an endless chain of clothed flatshaving a lower flight passing over a portion of the cylinder, said chainpassing from the lower to the upper flight in a bight around a sprocket,a reciprocable comb at the bight adapted to remove flat strips from theflats, and a rotatable brush at the bight above the reciprocable combadapted to brush the flats, the improvement comprising (a) a hoodpartially surrounding the brush and reciprocable comb and placed tointercept and confine material brushes or combed from the flats by saidbrush and comb;

(b) an inner shelf within the hood extending beneath the brush andreciprocable comb and having an outer edge in close proximity to thepath of the ends of wires on the flats at the bight;

(c) a suction duct beneath the inner shelf, said duct being defined bythe underside of the inner shelf, a front wall, a rear wall proximate tothe bight, a duct floor, and first and second end walls;

(d) said hood having a stripping slit extending the width of the flatsat the outer edge of the inner shelf, said stripping slit being apassageway into the suction duct extending in a direction perpendicularto the path of the flats at the stripplin g slit;

(e) said first end wall having an outlet therein;

(f) walls defining a crossover duct extending below the duct floor, saidcrossover duct having an outlet adjacent the outlet in the first endwall;

(g) said hood having a passageway between the suction duct and thecrossover duct at a location adjacent the second end wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,338,651 4/1920 Goldsmith 191092,959,824 11/1960 Asti et a1. 19107 FOREIGN PATENTS 548,777 10/ 1922France.

6,633 of 1913 Great Britain. 20,065 of 1914 Great Britain. 21,672 of1898 Great Britain. 26,977 of 1911 Great Britain. 919,694 2/ 1963 GreatBritain.

DARSEY NEWTON, Primary Examiner.

